TerraPower LLC's Natrium reactor will be delayed by at least two years without a sufficient fuel source following Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier in 2022.
The advanced nuclear energy project depends on high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, to fuel the reactor. The Bill Gates-backed developer needs more time to work with U.S. lawmakers and federal agencies such as the U.S. Energy Department to find an alternative, potentially domestic, source for the fuel, TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque said in an announcement Dec. 14.
In the 10 months since the invasion, TerraPower said it has worked with the DOE, allied lawmakers and others to find alternative HALEU sources. It has also urged Congress to authorize $2.1 billion to support supply chain development for the fuel in the end-of-year government funding package.
However, "it has become clear that domestic and allied HALEU manufacturing options will not reach commercial capacity in time to meet the proposed 2028 in-service date" for the project, Levesque said.
Given the lack of fuel availability and that construction has not occurred on any new fuel-enrichment facilities, the company expects a minimum delay of two years for its first advanced reactor.
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, a Republican representing Wyoming, where the project is based, has introduced legislation to boost domestic HALEU production.
"Instead of relying on our adversaries like Russia for uranium, the United States must produce its own supply of advanced nuclear fuel," Barrasso said. In response to TerraPower's announcement, Barrasso requested an oversight hearing to ensure the DOE is working to make HALEU available for the first class of American advanced reactors.
The DOE plans to downblend some of the nation's stockpile of weapons-grade uranium to provide fuel for advanced reactor projects. TerraPower will provide a schedule update in 2023 when more information is available about HALEU supply, including the department's plans, Levesque said.
The DOE has already committed to a $2 billion, seven-year agreement with TerraPower for the project, which TerraPower expects to match.
Construction of the advanced reactor demonstration project remains on schedule, with work expected to begin in 2023.
The Natrium project includes a 345-MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. The storage technology is expected to boost the system's output to 500 MW when necessary, and the energy storage capability will allow the plant to integrate with renewable generation, according to the company.
TerraPower and PacifiCorp announced in the fall a plan to jointly study the possibility of adding up to five additional commercial Natrium reactors by 2035. That work will continue, Levesque said.
"We are confident the federal programs to catalyze the production of HALEU will be operational in a timeframe that works for these plants," Levesque said.
Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement Dec. 14 that the delay should come as no surprise.
"The original timetable was far too optimistic — and not only because no feasible alternative suppliers for sufficient HALEU fuel exist other than Russia," Lyman said. "There are other potential supply chain gaps for this first-of-a-kind reactor, not to mention numerous technical challenges and safety issues. ... The [Energy Department] should not promote development of any reactor design unless it has a realistic, safe and economically sustainable path forward for providing necessary fuel."
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